The 2026 USL Championship season is the 16th season of the USL Championship and the ninth season under Division II sanctioning.
Before the start of the season, the United Soccer League Players Association (USLPA) authorized a player strike, pending resolution of ongoing labor negotiations between the league and the association.
25 teams in two conferences will compete in the regular season. The Brooklyn FC men's team, which was originally scheduled to begin play in 2025, debuted in 2026 alongside Sporting Club Jacksonville. North Carolina FC dropped out of the USL Championship and went on hiatus following the 2025 season, with hopes of entering USL Premier in 2028 with a new stadium in Raleigh.
All 25 teams will participate in the Prinx Tires USL Cup alongside the 18 USL League One teams.
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds are the defending league champions, and Louisville City FC are the defending Players' Shield winners.
Expansion clubs
Departing clubs
The teams will play an unbalanced 30-game schedule plus four USL Cup games. Each team will play its conference opponents twice, home and away, and five or six of the teams in the opposite conference. The top eight teams in each conference will make the playoffs.
Percentage changes as compared to 2025 USL Championship season.